PhoneSuite MiLi Packs a Powerful Punch

PhoneSuit makes one of many battery packs for the iPhone. I have been testing the PhoneSuit MiLi, which has a 2,000 mAh (milliamp-hour) smart battery. The device does an excellent job extending the battery life of my iPhone. The battery pack has its drawbacks, but it’s definitely one of my favorite accessories for my iPhone so far.

The MiLi comes in eight possible color combinations: all black, all white, black with a blue inner lining, black with a green inner lining, black with a gray inner lining, white with an orange inner lining, white with a green inner lining, or white with a gray inner lining. All color options are high gloss.

One really nice feature of the MiLi Power Pack is the fact that it looks beautiful. Phonesuit has maintained the curves and the lack of hard corners that the iPhone is known for. Phonesuit has obviously put a lot of thought and creativity into the battery pack, so it doesn’t look out-of-place with your iPhone attached to it.

The Battery

The MiLi contains a smart chip in the battery that follows a specific priority schedule for providing power to your iPhone:

First, the iPhone will get its power through the USB connector, if it is plugged in.

Second, the iPhone will be powered by the battery pack in the PhoneSuit MiLi

Finally, when the MiLi’s battery has less than 5 percent of a charge remaining, the iPhone will use its internal battery.

The MiLi Power Pack also provides a USB port that allows you to plug another device into the Power Pack for charging. For example, you could charge a Bluetooth headset using the Power Pack, or even a second iPhone.

The USB charging cable doubles as a sync cable, and has worked flawlessly every time I’ve plugged it into any USB 2.0 port. The only “gotcha” I’ve found here is that you can’t seem to charge your phone and the PowerPack when plugged into a USB port; to charge, you have to use the AC-to-USB adapter.

The iPhone doesn’t always recognize the device is compatible, though. Once in a while, I see a warning that “Charging is not supported with this accessory.” This usually happens when the iPhone is almost fully charged, though, and I’ve yet to see the MiLi fail to charge or sync my iPhone when needed.

Features

2,000 mAh battery

Output current: 0.5A

Output voltage: 5V

Case weight: 79.5g (2.8 oz.)

Warranty: 1 year

Apple Works with iPhone Certified

Protection

The MiLi doesn’t come with a screen protector. You should be able to use any screen protector alongside the MiLi, though, since the case doesn’t wrap around onto the screen at all.

When you slide your iPhone into the MiLi, more than half of the side edges are enclosed inside the case. Just enough room is left on the sides to make it easy to grip your iPhone when you want to remove it from the MiLi.

The back of your iPhone is fully protected, except for about an inch of the top of the iPhone. A crescent shaped cutout frames the bottom half of the iPhone’s camera, staying out of the way of the camera while providing protection to as much of the phone’s back surface as possible.

Daily Use

The Phonesuit MiLi definitely increases the iPhone’s footprint, but it doesn’t really get in the way of daily use, much. The smooth surface allows the Power Pack to fit nicely in your hand in either portrait or landscape mode.

The Power Pack also lets you use your iPhone off the charging cable for more than twice what you could without a battery pack. I normally charge my iPhone every night, but I’ve found myself leaving the phone unplugged for up to three days without draining the iPhone’s internal battery.

Documentation and Warranty

The documentation for the MiLi is sparse. No, it’s almost non-existent. The instruction manual is a 4-page booklet roughly double the size of a business card. Even after a week of use, I’m not 100% sure whether the button on the face of the MiLi initiates charging to the iPhone or if it just shows the battery life, and the manual doesn’t clear that up.

The warranty is the standard fare: 1 year.

The Bottom Line

The Phonesuit MiLi is something I wouldn’t want to have to live without. I love seeing my iPhone fully charged even after 2 days of full use, and the sleek design complements my phone nicely. It’s also nice to have the option of giving my wife’s iPhone a boost of power from the USB port.

Protective case with a decent grip, built-in battery with almost double the capacity of the iPhone’s internal battery, Smart charging and discharge, USB port for charging a second device from the Power Pack.

Cons:

No screen protector, Limited documentation, Occasional warnings from iPhone OS that charging is not supported, A bit pricey at $80